Vanilla Bean Lemonade

“Wow!” That was the only word out of my dad’s mouth the first time I asked him to try this lemonade. It’s seriously that good. I first experienced this lemonade at a fun little restaurant that specializes in desserts (they also make a mean Mac and Cheese). It was a hot summer day, and after a full afternoon walking around Ikea, it was absolutely perfect!

I went to a fun little spice shop the other day, and they had lovely vanilla beans on display. I decided to try replicating the recipe at home, and it turned out so well I wanted to share it on the blog!

Vanilla Bean Lemonade

• One 12 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate
• 7 cups water, divided
• 1/3 C sugar
• 2 vanilla beans
• 4 large lemons

In a small saucepan, heat 1 C of water and 1/3 C sugar until boiling. Continue to boil until sugar has dissolved. While the water is heating up, cut each vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove saucepan from heat and add the vanilla seeds. Allow to cool.

In a large pitcher, combine the lemonade concentrate with 6 cups of water. Add the cooled sugar water to the pitcher, and stir until well combined. Zest 1 lemon over the pitcher. Juice all 4 lemons and add the juice to the pitcher. Stir to combine. Chill well, or serve over ice.

At the suggestion of one of my daughters, we decided to turn the lemonade into soda with our homemade soda machine. I HIGHLY recommend trying it if you have a soda machine! It would also be great combined with club soda.